Evaluating emotional clarity and concordance in ambulatory physiological data and ecological momentary assessments in an adolescent clinical sample.

The concordance between physiological and subjective experiences of emotion is viewed as a core aspect of emotion and an important factor underlying psychopathology and well-being. However, there is a lack of research investigating concordance in ecologically valid contexts. Additionally, trait-level risk factors that may moderate concordance have yet to be thoroughly examined. The current study aimed (1) to determine whether concordance for naturally occurring affect is present at the within-person level and (2) to evaluate emotional clarity as a moderator of concordance in ecologically valid settings. The current study used ambulatory measures of autonomic physiological arousal and ecological momentary assessment over a four-week period to examine within-person concordance in everyday life within an adolescent clinical sample. The current study also examined whether between-person differences in trait-level emotional clarity moderate concordance. Significant concordance was found for momentary subjective anxiety and calmness, respectively, in relation to autonomic physiological arousal. In moderator analyses, individuals with greater emotional clarity exhibited greater concordance between physiological arousal and overall negative affect than did individuals with lower emotional clarity. These results extend findings from lab-based, experimental-induction paradigms to concordance in daily life and within clinically acute youth. Our results suggest that targeted interventions to strengthen concordance by improving emotional clarity may be an avenue for enhancing mental health and well-being.